I remained silent, composed, and unsettlingly still, wearing the same expression I gave an enemy moments before authorizing an airstrike.
They mistook my silence for weakness, and that became the greatest mistake they would ever make throughout their pathetic lives.
CHAPTER TWO: THE BURDEN OF PROOF
I looked straight at Patricia and offered a faint, restrained smile that never reached my eyes.
It was not because I found anything amusing, but because every combat veteran recognizes the instant before b@ttle when the air grows unnaturally quiet.
“You really should have thought twice before you thre:atened my daughter,” I said, my voice steady and controlled.
Patricia’s smile narrowed into a thin, bitter line.
“We were simply advising her on how to behave in public,” she lied through her teeth.
I slowly shook my head.
“You held her against her will and you trapped her in a room,” I said, raising my voice only enough for everyone to hear.
